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| Mintini |
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 2 limes (peeled)
- 2 tbsp raw blue agave
- 24 ounces of coconut water
Makes about 28 ounces
Take the limes and mint leaves, put them in the Vitamix blender blend then run through a nut milk bag to strain the mint leaves and lime pulp. Then pour the mixture back into your blender and add the coconut water and raw blue agave and you have a Mintini!
It's a light refreshing little elixir that when poured in a martini glass made me feel special. It's minty and not overbearingly sweet, with just the right amount of lime. Not to mention its good for you. Check out the health benefits below.
TIP: I know it sounds silly but play with your glasses sometimes, it makes it so much more fun! Buy some different styles of glasses and put your smoothies and juices in them. It's fun to change things up.
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Some Health Benefits
Coconut Water: Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to
beat tropical summer thirst. The juice is packed with simple sugar,
electrolytes, and minerals to replenish hydration levels in the body. Research studies suggest that cytokinins
(e.g., kinetin and trans-zeatin) in coconut water showed significant
anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-thrombotic effects. Coconut water has been generally offered to
patients with diarrhea in many tropic regions to replace fluid loss
from the gastrointestinal tract and reduce the need for intravenous
therapy. The osmolarity of tender coconut water is slightly greater
than that of WHO recommended ORS (Oral Rehydration Therapy) osmolarity.
Presence of other
biological constituents like amino acids, enzymes,
minerals, and fatty acids may account for this higher osmolarity.
However,
unlike WHO-ORS, its water is very low in sodium and chlorides, but rich
in sugars and amino acids. This well-balanced fluid
composition with much needed calories would be an ideal drink than any
other brand of soft drink beverages in dehydration conditions. Coconut water is composed of many naturally
occurring
bioactive
enzymes such as acid
phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase,
diastase, peroxidase, RNA polymerases etc. Altogether,
these enzymes aid in
digestion and metabolism. Despite very light consistency, its water has
much better composition of minerals like calcium, iron, manganese,
magnesium, and zinc than some of fruits like oranges. (Compare mineral
composition of oranges). Its water is also a very good
source of B-complex
vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates.
These vitamins are
essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to
replenish. Coconut water contains
a very good amount
of electrolyte potassium.
100 ml of water has 250 mg of potassium and
105 mg of sodium. Together, these electrolytes help replenish
electrolytes deficiency in the body due to diarrhea (loose stools). In addition, fresh coconut water has small
amount
of vitamin-C
(ascorbic acid); provides about 2.4 mcg or 4% of RDA.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble ant-oxidant.
Lime: Like
all citrus fruits, limes and their juice are very high in vitamin C.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant nutrient. It supports immune system function
and helps protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. There
are disease-fighting compounds found in citrus fruits, such as limes
and lemons, known as limonoids. According to the U.S. Agricultural
Research Service, your body can readily absorb and use a specific,
long-acting limonoid called limonin. Limes and lemons contain almost as
much limonin as they do vitamin C. This compound, in a culture study,
published in "Nutrition and Cancer" in 2001, as well as in laboratory
studies on human and animals cells, as noted in a June 2003 article in
the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," has been shown to
induce cancer cell death and may be particularly beneficial for
protecting against cancers of the skin, breast, mouth, lung, colon and
stomach.
Raw Blue Agave: According to Dr Ray Sahelian, bestselling author of, Mind Boosters and The Stevia Cookbook,
there are several hundred species of the agave plant. Agave has been
cultivated for centuries, first by the Native American population and
then in Europe, when agave plants were brought back by the Spaniards and
Portugese in the 17th century. Agave contains saponins and fructans. According to Dr. Sahelian,
saponins, which are found on quinoa and many plant roots, including
ginseng, have anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting properties,
including antimicrobial capability. In fact, the Aztecs used agave syrup
to treat wounds because of its antibacterial properties. Inulin is a type of fructan or fiber that has many health benefits.
Studies suggest that inulin can be effective in weight loss because of
its low impact on blood sugar (that's right! this is a great sugar substitute for those with diabetes) and its ability to increase satiety and
decrease appetite. Inulin is also associated with lowering cholesterol,
reducing the risk of certain cancers, and increasing the absorption of
nutrients, such as isoflavones, calcium and magnesium. In addition, Dr Sahelian says fructans are not destroyed in the stomach
and may be a delivery system for drugs to treat colon diseases such as
ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease.
Mint Leaves: Because of its active compounds contained, mint has sedative,
disinfectant and cicatrizing properties. It can be successfully used in
gastro-intestinal disorders; it helps the liver and calms indigestion.
It contains menthol, menthone, menthofuran, a-pinene, limonene,
cardinene, acetic aldehide, isovaleriana, vitamin C and antibiotic
substances. Because of its menthol, mint has a very good action over the
digestive system, causing a small anesthesia of the gastric mucous
membrane. It also stimulates digestion. Mint can treat diarrhea, gastric fever or toxic infections. It
stimulates the biliary secretion and helps the digestion of fats. It is recommended in cases of asthma, bronchitis and the flu because of
its antispasmodic and sedative properties. Sinusitis can be treated with
mint also, because menthol is a vasodilatator of the nasal mucous
membrane. It can be used as an inhalation in small amounts as well as
for chest massages. Mental fatigue, stress, depressive states and headaches can be
ameliorated if mint oil is applied over the temples and backhead. Mint
oil is a powerful stimulant and tonic. Mint is recommended for the
treatment of rheumatism, for disinfection of the oral pocket and in
cases of ear inflammation. Due to the fact that it has an antibacterial
action it can cure acne and blackheads.
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